Telephone-signal apparatus



(ModeL) W. H. DAY.

Telephone Signal Apparatus. No. 240,308. Patented 'April 19,1881.

Fl 5E2;

W fN I VE UF y. a mwwwm. 9424 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

I WILLIAM H. DAY, OF BOSTON, ASSIGNOR TO CHAS. W. CLIFFORD, TRUSTEE,

OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

TELEPHONE-SIGNAL APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,308, dated April 19, 1881.

Application filed June 9, 1880. (Model) To all whom it may concern: the controlling device, so that it is not until Be it known that I, WILLIAM HENRY DAY, after the current has been reversed to operate of Boston, county of Sufl'olk, State of Massathe step-by-step armature and controlling de chusetts, have invented an Improvement in vice that the proper instrument can be oper- TelephoneSignal Apparatus,'of which thefolated by again reversing the current. 55

lowing description, in connection with the 210- As herein shown, the step-by-step armature 1 companying drawings, is a specification. and the ones to operate the bell and locking My invention relates to signal apparatus for device are all operated by the same electrotelephonic circuits, and is embodied in an inmagnet, and the step-by-step and bell operat- JO dividual signal controlled bya mechanical coning armatures are simultaneously attracted 60 trolling device operated with a step-by-step and released by the said magnet, but only one 5 movement to allow a given signal to sound of them is allowed an efl'ective movement at a after adefinite number of electricimpnlses and time, the other one being held motionless by consequently step-movements. the locking device.

The invention consists in a proper arrange- Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a signal ap- 65 ment and combination of the parts, as hereinparatus embodying my invention, the inclosafter described, to enable the signal to be given ing-case being removed; Fig. 2, an end elevabyavibrating or automaticcircuit-breaker bell tion thereof; Fig. 3, a top view thereof, and operated in the main circuit,a mechanicallock Fig. 4 a detached view, enlarged, of the coning device preventing a movement of the armtrolling device and stop to bring it in unison 7o ature actuating the signal-controlling device with those of the other instruments.

a with the step-by-step movement while the bell The working parts are sustained on a plate,

is sounding. A locking device, shown as the a, suitable to form the front of a case to insame one just described, also looks the bellclose the said parts, the back of which, as inhammers while the step-by-step movement of dicated by the dotted lines, Fig. 1, supports 75 the cont-rolling mechanism is going on, so that the signal-bell I). The main circuit enters at the bell-hammer is prevented from movement the bindingscrew 2, passing therefrom by wire when released by the controlling device atlhe 3 to and through the coils of the operating proper time in its movement, and the signal is electro-magnet c, and thence by wire 4 to the not allowed to sound except when both the insulated adjustable back-stop d of the bell- 8ocontrolling mechanism is in the proper position operating armature e, whence it passes by the and the locking device removed therefrom to said armature and circuit-closing spring f lock and prevent further movement of the conthereon and supporting-spring g to the frametrolling mechanism. post h and connected binding-screw 5. The

3 5 As herein shown, the locking device is actsaid bell-operating armature e carries at its 85 uated by a polarized armature, locking the upper end the bell-hammer i, and is also probell-operating armature while the current is in vided with a controlling-hook, j, shown as a i one direction, and the armature which actuates pin extended back therefrom and bent at right the signal-controlling device, and which may angles to engage and be held by a flange, 6,

" be called the step-by-stepar1nature while the on the controlling-disk secured upon a shaft, 0

current is in the opposite direction. The said I, the said flange and hook preventing a suffipolarized armature also carries a stop to engage cient movement of the armature under the atand hold all the signal-controlling devices at traction of the magnet e to break the circuit a certain point, and thus give them a definite at d f. The shaft 1 and controlling-disk k 5 starting-point all in unison, the said stop he thereon are rotated to bring a notch, 7, in the 5 ing disengaged by the movement of the said flange 6 of the said disk opposite to the hook armature caused by a reversal of the current, j, to allow the said hook and armature 0 to vithe current then being in the proper direction brate by a ratchet, m, on the shaft 1, the said to sound the bell, but the bells of all the instruratchet being engaged and rotated for a dis- 5o ments being at this starting-point engaged by tance of one tooth by a pawl, a, on the stepby-step armature 0 pivoted on a bracket, 1), on the frame a, and provided with the retractingspring g at each vibration of said armature to and from the poles r of the magnet c. The pawl 71 is pressed into engagement with the ratchet m by a spring, 8, and is stopped and looked upon the said ratchet at the end of its vibration by the adjustable stop 8, a slight spring, t, acting to prevent backward movement of the ratchet m.

As the armatures c 0 are both operated by the same magnet c, it is obvious that the magnetization and demagnetization thereof would vibrate both the said armatures simultaneously if both were free to move, and that consequently if such were the case and the disk It were properly set to allow the armature 0 to vibrate, it would in its forward movement break the circuit at d f and allow the armature m to be retracted and move the disk to again lock the armature c. This is prevented by providing a locking device shown asablock, a, (see Fi 3,) carried upon a bent arm, 10, connected with armature o, pivoted, at 9, on a post, 3 secured to the plate a, and adapted to be moved by the said armature along the pole r of the magnet 0, to be interposed between the said pole and one of the armatures 0 or 0, according to the position of the said armature 2;, which is polarized by the permanent magnet 00 in the usual manner. When the block a is in one position to lock or stop the movement of the armature e and to leave the armature 0 free to move, a stop-pin, 11, on the arm 10 is in position to engage a stop-arm, w, on the shaft 1 when it comes in proper position in the rotation of the said shaft. The arm to is so placed as to be engaged by the stop 11 when the armature 0 is not wholly back to its stop, so that in the further vibrations of the said armature the pawl a does not pass over a new tooth, but passes backward and forward over the same tooth, being stopped in its vibration by the tooth last engaged, the shaft 1 and connected devices not rotating.

By causing the armatures 0 of the different instruments in the circuit to vibrate a few times more than what is normally needed to bring the arms to to the stops 11, any of the shafts Z and connected devices that may have fallen behind will be brought around to the same position with the others, and then by reversing the current the armature Q; will be thrown over, withdrawing the pins 11 from and releasing the arm w and connected shaft Z. This same movement unlocks the armatures e in the difierent instruments, but they are now all held by the disks it, there being in this position no notches 7 corresponding to the hooks j, this being the starting-point for the step-by-step movement in all the instruments. The notches in the disks 7c of the different instruments are placed at different positions relative to the arms to, as usual in this class of signaling-instruments.

Theinstruments being in this position, the operation is as follows: Supposing it is desired to sound the signal in which the notch 7 is so placed as to come opposite the hook j after two movements of the ratchet m and shaft 1, the current will first be broken, allowing the armature 0 to be drawn wholly back, and move the arm t0 beyond the stop 11, as

shown by the dotted line, Fig. 4, and then reversed to throw over the armature o and block a to unlock the armature 0 and lock the one 0. The circuit will then be broken, allowing the armature 0 to be retracted and revolve the ratchet on one tooth, and with it the shaft land connected parts. This will bring a notch, 7, in one of the instruments opposite the hook j; but the armature c of that instrun'lent will be prevented from vibrating 011 the next closore of the circuit to attract the armature o by the block a, or otherwise it would be attracted and itself break the circuit at (If, and thus, besides sounding t he bell of that instrument and giving a false signal, would operate the armature m to change the position of the shaft Z independently 'of the operator controlling the circuit by the usual current-reversing fingerkey. The circuit will now be broken again to advance all the disks 70 another step, when the notch 7 in the disk of the instrument it is desired to signal will be placed in the proper position, but the said signal-arimtture 0 will still be locked by the block a. The circuit is now closed by the other key, sending the current in the opposite direction, which will first throw the armature 7), which is lighter, and acts under the attraction of the magnet more quickly than the ones 0 c, and thus lock the armature 0, to prevent a further movement of the shaft 1, and at the same time release the armatures e of all the instruments, leaving the desired one in which the hookj is opposite to the notch 7 free to move, operating automatically in the usual manner as long as the circuit is closed at the key, the armature 0 in all the other instruments being held by the unnotched portion of the flangeso of the disks k, and the signals thus remaining silent. After the signal has been given the current may be again reversed and broken several times to bring all the arms w to the stop 11, and thus insure that the signal-instruments all start properly in unison, the circuit then being ready for signaling again, in the mannerjust described.

As herein shown, the shaft Z is provided with two stop-arms, w, and the disk 7a with two corresponding notches, the signals being all operated byasemi-revolution of the said shaft, the number ofinstrnments in the circuit being less than half the number of teeth 011 the ratchet-m. As herein shown the number operated in this way can be as many as six. \Vhen necessary to operate a larger number the disk It can be provided with but one notch, 7, or the said disks can be made, as shown in Fig. 4, with one of the said notches adapted to receive a movable slide, '12, shown as dovetailed to retain it in place where it closes the notch, so that the opposite notch not closed by such a slide is the only one adapted to permit the bell-operating armature to vibrate. The shaft I may have but one stop-arm, w, or both stop-arms may be retained and the instruments brought to a unison during the operation of setting the controlling mechanism to ring a bell after a larger number of movements than what is required to turn the shaft 1 half a revolution. For example, if both stop-arms w are retained, and it is desired to ring bell No. S, the circuit will be broken seven or eight times bringing the signals to a unison-point beyond the sixth notch, after which they will be properly operated, as before described, to advance them two steps farther, thus bringing the eighth notch in position, as desired.

This construction enables all the signal-instruments to be made alike, the controllingdisks having two notches opposite one another, which can be properly placed with relation to the stop-arms w. Both these notches will be left open if less than six bells are to be operated in a given circuit; 'but if the number of bells is greater than six one of the notches can be filled with a slide, 12.

The shaft l is shown extendedlout through the plate a, at 13, to enable a pointer to be attached to show the movement thereof in the usual manner.

I claim- 1. In atelephone-signal apparatus, a signalcontrolling mechanism and an electromagnet and its armature to actuate it, a signal-operating armature and a locking device to prevent the effective movement of either one of the said armatures while the other is in operation, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In an electric signal apparatus, a signalcontrolling mechanism and actuating-armature to operate it with a stepby-step movement, combined with a vibrating automatic circuit-breakin g armature and lockin g device to prevent movement of the said actuating armature when the circuit is broken by the said vibrating armature, substantially as described.

3. In a telephonic signal instrument, an electro'magnet and vibrating circuit-breaking armature therefor to operate a signal, combined with a signal-controlling device to prevent the movement of the said armature except when the said device is in one definite position, and a locking device to prevent the movement of the said armature when left free to move by the said controlling device, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a single electromagnet and two actuating-armatures thereon, one to operate a signal-controlling device and the other to operate the signal controlled thereby, of a polarized armature and locking device operated thereby to lock one of the said actuating armatures while the currents flow in one direction, and the other of the said armatures when the currents flow in the other direction, substantially as described.

5. A signal-controlling device and actuating armature and stop-arm therefor, and a looking device to prevent or allow a movement of the said armature, combined with a stop connected and moved with the said locking device to engage the stop-arm when the actuatin g-armature is unlocked, and release the said stop-arm when the armature is locked, substantially as described.

6. The sign al-eontrolling disk provided with notches to allow a signal to be operated at certain definite points in the revolution of the said disk, combined with detachable pieces to be inserted in the said notches when desired to render them inoperative, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

/ WILLIAM HENRY DAY.

Witnesscs:

J os. P. LIVERMORE, N. E. G. WHITNEY.- 

